These Championships take place from Friday 21 April at the Gangneung Hockey Centre, strange I know but it is one of the venues from the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

The 15 Women’s teams will play in two round-robin groups:
Group A: Canada, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Sweden and United States
Group B: Australia, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Scotland and Switzerland.

England Senior Women Manon Harsch (Skip), Angela Wilcox (Vice-Skip) Helen Forbes (Second) and Deborah Higgins (Lead)

They're on their way - Helen (far left) and Debbie (far right) are from my local ice rink, so I'll be supporting them.

Ireland Senior Women Dale Sinclair (Skip), Bernie Gillett (Vice-Skip), Nina Clancy (Second) and Louise Kerr (Lead)

Nina (second left)is also from my local ice rink, so I'll be supporting her.

Scotland Senior Women  Jackie Lockhart (Skip), Mairi Milne (Vice-Skip), Wendy Johnston (Second) and Katie Loudon

None of them come from my local ice rink, but of course I'll be supporting them.

Round-robin play starts on Saturday 22 April, and will continue through 25 sessions until Thursday 27 April. After this, the top three teams from each group will move onto the play-offs. The two group winners are moving straight to the semi-finals. The second and third teams in each group will play cross-over qualification games, with the winners also going onto the semi-finals. Both the qualification games and the semi-finals are to be held on Friday 28 April. The bronze medal game and the gold medal final will take place on Saturday 29 April.

England start against Sweden at 12 noon (UK time) on Saturday and then Hong Kong at the same time on Sunday.
Ireland play their first game against Czech Republic on Saturday at 4am followed by Switzerland at the same time on Sunday.
Scotland take on Switzerland at 8am on Saturday and then 2 games on Sunday - versus Latvia at 4am and Czech Republic at 12 noon.

The 24 Men’s teams will play in three round-robin groups:
Group A: Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Japan and Poland
Group B: England, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Latvia, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland
Group C: Australia, Estonia, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Slovenia, United States and Wales.

Round-robin play starts on Friday 21 April, concluding on Thursday 27 April. After the round robin, the group winners, the second-placed teams and the top two of the three third-placed teams will proceed to quarter-finals and then semi-finals on Friday 28 April. Both the bronze medal game and the gold medal final will take place on Saturday 29 April, at the same time as the women’s medal games.

More details on the Men tomorrow.

THE MATCH

SATURDAY 22ND APRIL KO 3:00PM

v

LAST MATCH



We got back to winning ways after the embarassment of Burton. Bristol had the vast majority of the possession but very few chances were created although both goalies had saves. We took the lead when we stole possession and the ball fell to Bannan who scored with an angled shot past the keeper. We made it two just before HT when Famewo scrambled one in from close range. Onto the 2nd half and Iorfa fell asleep at the back and Collins fired past Dawson. Bristol huffed and puffed but we managed to holdout and keep us alive in the automatic hunt.

THE MATCH



Next up and back to Hillsborough as Exeter make the long journey north. The Grecians will be in League One next season after last seasons promotion, hopefully we wont be playing them. They have two main threats in Nombe (17)and Brown (14) but neither were in the squad for there last game against Derby. They are managed by Gary Caldwell, who has been in charge since October lasy year and has a 30% win rate

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 4
EXETER 7  
DRAWS 2

CURRENT FORM

OWLS              -                                                                                  

EXETER            -                                                          

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

DECLAN BOURNE
Daniel Woodward and Gary Hilton
Fourth Official : Andy Haines

THE TEAM

Dawson
Palmer Famewo Flint
Adeniran Bannan Shipston Vaulks Johnson
Gregory Smith

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

2-1 Gregory

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

26

BML LEAGUE

Owlskev 27
Stateside 23
SCO 22
Imre 21
Wash 20
Maddix 17
Peiowl 14

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Brentford v Villa
Preston v Blackburn
Peterborough v Ipswich
Hartlepool v Crawley
Altrincham v Torquay

ADDHA

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC

Walsall have sacked head coach Michael Flynn having won just once in League Two since the start of the year.

The Saddlers' league victory against Mansfield on 1 January left them just outside the play-offs, but they have only beaten Gillingham since and slipped to 15th in the table.

Flynn's last game in charge was Tuesday's 3-0 defeat by Harrogate.

The 42-year-old's departure means exactly half of the 72 EFL clubs have changed manager this season.

Assistant coach Wayne Hatswell has also left the Bescot Stadium and Mat Sadler will take charge of the first team for their final three matches of the campaign.

"We thank Michael and Wayne for their contribution and wish them well in the future," a club statement said.

"Trivela Group and the club will immediately initiate a thorough process to identify the correct next steps for the management of the first team for the 23-24 campaign and beyond."

Premier League

Stairs        14pts 2CS 4CR 0GB 6BB 0SB
Derby        14pts 1CS 7CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
Snooty      10pts 1CS 3CR 0GB 3BB 1SB
Zinman        9pts 0CS 4CR 0GB 3BB 0SB
SCO            8pts 1CS 6CR -3GB -3BB 0SB
Sanjay        7pts 1CS 3CR -3GB 6BB 0SB
Minizin        7pts 0CS 4CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Blue Baggie 7pts 0CS 3CR 0GB 3BB 0SB

A reminder that to count, scores must be in before kick off!

Another close week with only 7 points separating top from bottom. The gamball drew a blank as nobody ever wants to predict a Villa win but for once it was a better bonus week with that ball generating a positive overall return for the first time in 6 weeks!

Stairs and Derby share top spot though that didn't look likely at one point with Stairs failing to score on any of the first 6 matches. 2 correct scores on the last 4 , including his bonus (a rare positive bonus for him) made for an impressive recovery. Derby scored on the week's high of 7 games but missed an opportunity to close on the top of the overall table by only nailing one correct score and missing out on the gamball.

Snooty was one of the late posters but was still able to secure double figures and 3rd place thanks to getting his first bonus ball in 6 weeks. Zinman was a point further back, grateful for deciding not to use the gamball, a further point ahead of SCO who scored on 6 games but missed out on all of his balls - he was the only player to get his bonus wrong. This poor ball play may well cost him his place among the elite.

Another point back to the bottom 3, tied together on 7, though it shouldn't cause them too much damage in such a close week.

Minzin 290
Zinman 283
Derby 279
Stairs 263
Blue 245
Sanjay 222
Snooty 214
SCO 210

For the second week in a row we have no changes in the overall table positions though Minizin continues to fritter away his lead - at this rate he may be overtaken by the time the season ends next November. Derby is also edging back into contention but barring an incredible late surge from Stairs, it looks like the title will go to one of the current top 3. It's also close at the foot of the table with SCO, Snooty and Sanjay all hoping to scramble to the play-offs.

On to some ball stats. zinman heads the gamball table having amassed 33 points from it, just ahead of Minizin with 26, which coincidently also happens to be Snooty gamball total, though he does have an extra minus in front of it. Bonus scores are actually lower - 18 points sees Sanjay leading that particular stat with 18 points - nobody else has more than 3 with Stairs losing 33 points on his bonus balls, enough to keep him off the top of the table! Scoreball totals are closer with everyone now in double figures close behind Derby's best of 19 points.

Zin


Championship

Dingle 23pts 2CS 5CR 5GB 6BB 0SB
BBB 17pts 2CS 4CR NPGB 3BB 0SB
Lady Jane 12pts 1CS 4CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
Amelia 12pts 2CS 3CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
BaggieOne 10pts 0CS 5CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
AAA 9pts 1CS 4CR NPGB -3BB 0SB
Twerton 7pts 0CS 6CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Themaclad 2pts 0CS 2CR -3GB 3BB 0SB

Pretty good scoring week in the Championship with 5 players reaching double figures.  Dingle leads the way with a season high score for him of 23 points.  Unlike our PL friends he was one of 4 Baggies to predict a Villa win and benefit from the points it gained.  Dingle also added a max on the Bonus to boost his score.  BBB is in second spot with 17 points, he gave up on the Gamball and it saved him 3 points but did score on 6 games including 2 CSs.  Joint 3rd are Lady Jane and Amelia with 12 points.  LJ picked up points on the Villa win but missed on her Bonus, Amelia was the other way round, missing on the Gamball but picking up the Bonus.

BaggieOne is 5th with 10 points, he scored on the Gamball and 5 games but was unable to get any correct scores.  AAA didn't play the Gamball and this week that cost him 3 extra points as he too backed Villa for the win.

Twerton is 7th with 7 points, he scored on 6 of the 10 games but due to not converting any into correct scores and missing on both balls kept his score down!!  Themaclad's poor form continues, he inexplicably missed posting a score for Brentford, missed on the Gamball and only scored on two games on his way just 2 points.

320 Dingle
286 BaggieOne
284 Lady Jane
280 AAA
276 BBB
191 Themaclad
191 Twerton
187 Amelia

No positional changes again this week but a few key gap changes.  Dingle is the first player to pass the 300 point mark and extends his lead to 34 points, I think he will be joining Burnley in the PL with this lead!!  BaggieOne and LJ stay in the top 3 but now just two points apart, and with AAA and BBB closing in there is only a 10 point spread between 2nd and 5th!

At the bottom, Amelia's good form has seen her close right up to the two T's above her and she now sits just 4 points below both.  Twerton has drawn level with the out of form Themaclad, so the wooden spoon is up for grabs for the first time in weeks!!

I will follow Zinmans cue with the ball stats.  In the Championship there is a huge 115 point gap between the highest and lowest haul on all three balls.  Lady Jane has so far raked in 63 points from her balls whereas Twerton has -52 points from his!! Dingle (55), BaggieOne (52) and AAA (51) are all scoring well on them, but BBB (20), Themaclad (6) and Amelia (3) are all behind because of their low scoring on them.  Leader on the Gamball is Dingle with 34 points, BaggieOne on the Bonus with 27 points and BBB & Twerton lead on the Scoreball with 17.

Cheers
SCO

Dreadful news unfolding re a very well known representative of the Hibs community who has represented Hibs fans on the Hibs Board and followed Hibs for well over half a century. He had had been in poor health for a while and suddenly had a bad fall at home, eventually resulting in a cardiac arrest. RIP big man!

Gamball:
Preston - Blackburn

Others:
Brentford - Villa
Leicester - Wolves
Cardiff - Stoke
Hull - Watford
Wigan - Millwall
Peterboro - Ipswich
Bournemouth - West Ham
Brighton - Man Utd
WBA - Sunderland

For the Brighton - Man Utd cup match, the score will vbe taken after e-t if necessary but before penalties.

2 points for each correct scorer
Correct joker doubles your score      
Wrong joker result gives you minus 2
Correct Random Badger gives you 2 points

The random badger is used for any random prediction used once in each matchday sequence. For instance, a scorer at a particular match, the number of red cards in the matches or yellow cards or own goals or owt you want really within reason, I do need to be able to check whether it's correct or not. Please don't put stuff like....."Commentator says...."  
The joker   is played for one match in each sequence and if correct you get double points. So if you've predicted 1-0 and it finishes 2-0, you get 4 pts, but if you've predicted 2-0, that's 8 pts. But if you get it wrong, it's minus 2.
Jokers and badgers are optional. You don't have to play one if you don't want.

The prize for winning the league is one rep point.

Cup games: In the event of a draw, it's half the points if you've predicted a draw when it gets to 90 mins and the full points if it's still a draw after extra time. Half the points will be awarded for correctly predicting the winner of the match if it goes to penalties. Similarly with the badger, if your random prediction is affected by this, it'll be half the points.

Random score generator: I will be using the random score generator again for those who miss predicting, so we shouldn't get some people too far behind that after missing a couple of weeks they lose all interest, because I know it's not easy getting on here every week.
To be fair to everybody, this is going to be like, say if three people in one week miss their predictions, the first one in the table will be given all 0-0, the second one down the line will get 1-0 and the third will get 0-1 and so on, like if there's four missing the 4th will get 1-1, then 5th 2-1, 6th 1-2. and if there are so many missing, might as well pack in.
And if you miss two weeks on the trot, I'll stop until you come back on again. Not doing it for half a season like I did t'other year.  

End of season Play Offs: The one who finishes top of the league will still be champion, but after the season finishes there will be Play Offs between the top 4, with 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd. This will take in stuff like the EFL Play Offs, FA Cup Final, final day of Prima Donna League, European Finals etc. It will be one matchday for the semis and one for the Final. It will be the individual scores for each matchday against the allotted opponent, with some kind of tie breaker for a drawn match.

The prize for winning will be enormous. Another rep point.

Saturday April 22nd:
Birmingham City v Blackpool
Bristol City v Rotherham United
Burnley v Queens Park Rangers
Cardiff City v Stoke City
Coventry City v Reading
Hull City v Watford
Norwich City v Swansea City
Wigan Athletic v Millwall
Preston North End v Blackburn Rovers (17:30)

Sunday 23rd April:
West Bromwich Albion v Sunderland (12:00)

Monday 24th April:
Luton Town v Middlesbrough

Tuesday 25th April:
Blackburn Rovers v Burnley

Wednesday 26th April:
Sheffield United v West Bromwich Albion

Thursday 27th April:
Rotherham United v Cardiff City

FA Cup semi finals:
Saturday:
Manchester City v Sheffield United (16:45)

Sunday:
Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United (16:30)

Table after Matchday 35:

1. jjamez = 830 pts
   
2. Baggiebob(BBB) = 795 pts
   
3. themaclad = 792 pts
   
4. theo_luddite = 766 pts
   
5. St Charles Owl = 756 pts
   
6. neonfoxinthebox = 740 pts
   
7. Lord Snooty = 709 pts
   
8. ritchiebaby = 687 pts
   
9. SHEP_HTAFC = 670 pts
   
10. Amelia Chaffinch = 662 pts
    
11. Devongone = 630 pts
    
12. WakeyTerrier = 171 pts

It might even have been the start of Torquay's slow decline into non-league football, but I can remember us relegating Torquay once before.

Whether it was called Division One or Division 3 back then I can't remember, but we were doing badly and looking sure to be relegated (it happens so often it's part of our DNA). But towards the end of the season we made what looked likely to be too-late-a-comeback.

Torquay had pretty much been safe all season as I remember it. 50 points was supposed to make you safe. Anyway with Roy-Hodgson like escapology we wriggled free and down in the place god and his host of merrie little angels had designated for us went Torquay. As I remember it they ended up on 52 points and achieved a supposedly impossible and very sad relegation.

Tuesday night after 5 consecutive victories beating us looks like their best chance of staying up. They're two points behind Aldershot and three behind Maidenhead and York. Torquay's two remaining games are Altrincham away and Wrexham FFS at home. If we beat them they'll again be clutching at straws and taking one final breath.

I can't wish that on a nice little club!!!

Port Vale have sacked manager Darrell Clarke after a winless seven-game run which has seen them slip into danger of relegation from League One.

The 45-year-old guided Vale to promotion last season through the play-offs, beating Mansfield at Wembley.

His final match in charge was a 3-2 defeat in which the Valiants finished with nine men against 10-man Lincoln.

That loss left the Potteries side just six points clear of the relegation places with four games remaining.

Fourth-from-bottom Cambridge United, in the final relegation spot, have a game in hand on Vale.

Assistant manager Andy Crosby has been named as Clarke's interim replacement until the end of the season.

Crosby had a crucial spell in charge last season, covering Clarke when he took compassionate leave following the death of his teenage daughter Ellie.

At Clarke's insistence, Crosby was the one to lead the Valiants onto the Wembley pitch before the emotional victory over Mansfield at the national stadium in the League Two play-off final.

Port Vale's director of football David Flitcroft said the club had "immense gratitude" to Clarke for returning them to League One after a five-year absence, but their run of two wins from 18 league games had demanded a change.

"Following discussions in recent weeks with Darrell, the backroom staff and senior players, we have decided now is the best time to make a change and give ourselves the best chance of retaining the League One status we have all worked so tirelessly to achieve," Flitcroft told the club website.

"We have been on an emotional journey together, during which time Carol [Shanahan], her family and all associated with Port Vale have provided unwavering support to Darrell throughout an unimaginably difficult period in his life."

Port Vale co-owner Carol Shanahan said it was "difficult to part ways" with Clarke.

"Collectively, this has not been an easy decision to make," she said.

"We always wish to give our manager ample opportunity to deliver results, though at this stage we now agree it is in the club's best immediate and long-term interests to make a change."